Work Sharing Won’t Bring Solution to Unemployment

Work Sharing seems to be the “in” thing. According to its advocates, unemployment is caused by people working too many hours; if they would just reduce their workweek to, say 32 hours, there would be plenty of jobs to go around for everyone. The latest politician to make this proposal is Bob Rae, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, who estimates that the 32-hour workweek could create more than 780, 000 additional jobs in that province, halting unemployment dead in its tracks. Superficially attractive as this idea is, it is deeply flawed. It flies in the face of the historical fact